Miami, FL (November 28, 2011) — With the holiday shopping season in full swing, the American Red Cross is asking that people consider stepping away from materialistic gifts to instead give something that means something by donating to the Red Cross.

 The Red Cross has launched a holiday fundraising campaign, asking everyone to visit www.redcross.org/gifts to make a donation in the name of the people on their gift list this year. Their donation can help provide food and shelter to a victim of disaster, help purchase things like phone cards and supplies for a member of the armed forces, or help supply basic necessities to families in desperate need in countries across the world.

Everyone is invited to browse through the Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog and view symbolic gifts they can “purchase” for, or in honor of, a loved one - things like infant care kits for babies in emergency shelters, comfort kits for wounded warriors, or water containers used when natural disasters disrupt a community’s water supply overseas.

 “We are asking people to give a gift that means something in the spirit of the holiday season,” said Sam Tidwell, CEO of the Red Cross South Florida Region. “Their donation can help save the day when fire destroys a neighbor’s house, when a member of the military has a family emergency back home.”

Here in South Florida, the Red Cross responded to numerous major emergencies in the last year alone, including a severe flooding event in Fort Lauderdale last month and a West Miami nursing home fire that left more than a hundred seniors without access to food for a day; the Red Cross was there to provide meals and comfort. Local volunteers also have helped provide food, clothing and shelter to dozens of families displaced by house fires.

Fiscal Year 2011 was a busy year for the Red Cross, nationally. Red Cross chapters responded to more than 68,000 disasters across the country, including the launch of major relief operations for wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres; tornadoes that destroyed entire towns; and flooding that left communities under water from the Dakotas to the East Coast.

Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces workers provided assistance to more than 386,000 members of the military and their families, veterans and civilians. The Red Cross enrolled more than 8.2 million people in health and safety training such as first aid and CPR, aquatics and water safety. As part of the global Red Cross network in more than 180 countries around the world, the American Red Cross responded to disasters and public health emergencies in more than 60 countries.

“We ask people to be generous this holiday season in their support of the Red Cross,” Tidwell said. “History has proven Americans respond when people are in need. These are difficult times for families and businesses across our nation, but we ask that people support the Red Cross and the help its programs provide during the holidays this year.”

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.